Monday, April 30, 2012

DISCUSS!! The Avengers comes out this weekend and after that, your buzz will last..what..a week? And then who will you be crying for? THE BATMAN!!! Warner Brothers drops a new trailer on you, suspiciously days before A day as if to say WHO DO YOU LOVE MORE??!! CHOOSE WHO YOU WANT TO GO HOME WITH!!! Madness. I can love Marvel and DC Equally, can't I? Yeesh. Stop pressuring me.

A city in peril. A madman fanning the flames. The Batman returns to save those who would see him in chains, but Bane is waiting. He has one objective. Break the Bat. Warner Bros. Pictures' and Legendary Pictures' "The Dark Knight Rises" is the epic conclusion to filmmaker Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy. Leading an all-star international cast, Oscar(R) winner Christian Bale ("The Fighter") again plays the dual role of Bruce Wayne/Batman. The film also stars Anne Hathaway, as Selina Kyle; Tom Hardy, as Bane; Oscar(R) winner Marion Cotillard ("La Vie en Rose"), as Miranda Tate; and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, as John Blake. Returning to the main cast, Oscar(R) winner Michael Caine ("The Cider House Rules") plays Alfred; Gary Oldman is Commissioner Gordon; and Oscar(R) winner Morgan Freeman ("Million Dollar Baby") reprises the role of Lucius Fox.

Sunday, April 29, 2012

My favorite cartoon is back with a second volume of cartoons on DVD! As is generally the case, MEGA fans will probably be waiting for the combined Season 1 DVD, but there seem t be heaps of kids out there discovering the show...so disks like these for little people with no no iterest in extras become the perfect gift. Here's a rundown of each episode you'll find on the "It Came from the Nightosphere" collection...

It Came from the Nightosphere : While helping Marceline the Vampire Queen record her now famous “Daddy, Why Did You Eat My Fries” jam, Finn releases ultimate evil into the land of Ooo. Now Finn has to find a way to boot Marceline's soul sucking father back into the nether-realms while Marceline just wants to get her axe bass back.

Rainy Day Daydream : A storm of knives puts a damper on adventuring, so Jake throws his imagination into overdrive and almost DESTROYS THE WOOOORLD!!! ….or just Finn. Everything gets INTENSE and Finn gets pretty jacked up.

Wizard : Hey Kid…ya want some magic powers? There are many a creepy, evil looking dude wandering the lands of Ooo…and it is the responsibility of Finn and Jake to decide which just look evil and which want to eat their eyes out. In this case, the spooky skeleton guy leads our heroes to a magic school promising powers for every task they complete. What is the ultimate wizard power? Awesome 70’s mustache casting? Dustimancy? There’s only one way to find out! Here..eat this broom to continue...

Power Animal : A rooftop party brings Jake’s focus into question. When Finn goes missing the following morning, Jake must summon alllllll the powers of his focus to figure out where his best bud has gone..but that means avoiding sexy water ladies, dancing bugs and so on. The land of Ooo is pretty darn distracting.

The Enchiridion : Finn’s superior heroing skills pay off when Princess Bubblegum honors him with knowledge of the Enchiridion, a book only a truly righteous hero can possess. WHAT AMAZING SECRETS LAY WITHIN ITS PAGES??!! Finn and Jake quest for the book guarded by many an adorable obstacle. Peril awaits.

Slumber Party Panic : Adventure Time’s approximation of a ZOMBIE OUTBREAK! Of course the zombies are candy people from the candy kingdom and they crave….CANDYYYY!!! They go after Finn and Jake as well though…so don’t delve too far into the plot. While Princess Bubblegum hits the science to cure the zombies, Finn must protect the Candy Kingdom while keeping a royal promise to not tell anyone what he is protecting them from! Wackiness ensues.

The Real You : Finn is asked to speak at a gathering of super nerds, so he goes on a quest with Jake to jump start his brain power, thus impressing Princess Bubblegum and increasing his chances of a smootchathon. The Glasses of Nerdicon may be the key!

Memory of a Memory : Fin and Jake pull a magical Inception of Marceline’s brains to yank her out of a sleep spell, but all may not be as it appears. Pasts are revealed, crotches are stomped and jerkiness is afoot!

Prisoners of Love : ICE KING BATTLE!! When Finn and Jake get iced over, they discover Ice King’s super creepola Princess collection…as in he has all the princesses locked up so he can choose which one he likes best to marry his nasty ole’ stalkery booty. Now our heroes must find a way to escape their frozen prison and rescue the princesses all at once. Jedi Mind Tricks aplenty.

Crystals Have Power : A mysterious crystal transports Finn and Jake to a mystical world of..you guessed it..CRYSTAL MADNESS!! Now Jake must overcome his new found vow of restraint to do battle and save his best bud and unravel the secrets of their crystalline captors.

Business Time : While cracking open glaciers, Finn and Jake revive ancient business men! The over zealous worker bees are eager to please and seem like the solution to all of Jake’s energy exertion woes..at first…but it isn’t long before the pair discovers BUSINESS IS EVIL!!

Mystery Train : It’s Finn’s birthday, but a scenic trip on an old-timey train turns into a journey to MURRRRDERRRR TOWWWWN. Did you know candy people have skeletons inside their sugary bodies? Neither did I. It’s a bit disturbing.

Guardians of Sunshine : Finn and Jake grow bored of Beemo’s video game and think it would be more challenging from the INSIDE!! Now multiple lives are on the line and if our heroes lose all three tries, it’s game over. Prepare for a bit mapping bonanza in one of the most harrowing episodes to date…that still manages to be hysterical. BEWARE of SLEEPY SAM!!

The Monster : Lumpy Space Princess has gone full hobo, so her parents charge Finn and Jake with delivering her favorite sandwiches..you know..so she can keep up that fantastic figure. On their way, they find a village of tiny people set upon by a ravenous purple monster with a familiar sounding voice... (the extra dots add mystery)

Hitman : The Ice King, tired of countless humiliations at the hands of Finn and Jake, hires a hitman to slap them in the chops. He quickly realizes that isn’t exactly what hitmen do. Sooo…The Ice King wants to steal princesses to marry them and would love to defeat Finn and Jake but he draws the line at killing them? Interesting! He just wants to be loved. Too bad he smells funny and is super creepalicious.

The Creeps : An invite to a spooky mansion party turns into a murder mystery with a spectral menace as the culprit! Now it’s a race against time to defeat the horrors of this house..but not everyone is taking their peril seriously. Goofy overload in this episode, even though your favorite characters get knocked off left and right. ..and maybe the house wants to eat them..so there’s that.

There should be no doubt in your mind that Adventure Time is INSANE...so if you are looking for cohesive stories, writing that doesn't devolve into ridiculousness and animation that follows rules of human anatomy and such...this is not the place for you. If you've had a hard day at work and just want to laugh at the antics of two best friends/ brothers who also happen to be a dog and a young boy who also happen to live in a magical sort of post-apocalyptic world with candy people, giant monsters, talking shrubbery, sword fights and so on, then give your brain some time off and settle in! Adventure Time is consistently, insanely funny with no social commentary I can locate and therefore, no great hidden meanings to unearth. Sometimes a dog shaking his butt is just a dog shaking his butt, and that is awesome! I'll also mention that as you get further into the series, you'll be treated to many catchy little songs, with "Daddy, Why Did You Eat My Fries" as your gate way drug. Think of it as a taste of things to come! "It Came from the Nightosphere" is your perfect entry into Adventure Time, so if you watch it and go berserk for it, I recommend gifting it to a friend when the full Season 1 DVD drops so you've got all those promised extras to look forward to. WIN WIN!

If you get up early enough on Saturday Mornings, you are rewarded with DC NATION; WB's animation block for DC Comics featuring Green Lantern and Young Justice. Both shows are well made and written, but some days, it is the short cartoons in between that steal the spotlight. One such creation is a piece of animation starring Supergirl, Batgirl and Wonder Girl teaming up for adventure with a heaping side order of mischief in SUPER BEST FRIENDS FOREVER! The animation is crisp, the art style is fun and bursting with energy and the vocal work will make you fall in love in seconds...which is all you have, really, as these super shorts are...super..short. (Wokka) Check it out...

Mind blown?! It's like Powerpuff Girls with awesome DC Comics characters, right? If you loved this, do a quick google search for Plastic Man and Animal Man from DC Nation as well! Now..if we could get some of this genius to rub off on Marvel/ Disney who chose to overdub their classic cartoons in the most unfunny way possible as their interstitials...all would be right with the world!

Saturday, April 28, 2012

In the year 1752, Joshua and Naomi Collins, with young son Barnabas, set sail from Liverpool, England to start a new life in America. But even an ocean was not enough to escape the mysterious curse that has plagued their family. Two decades pass and Barnabas (Johnny Depp) has the world at his feet—or at least the town of Collinsport, Maine. The master of Collinwood Manor, Barnabas is rich, powerful and an inveterate playboy...until he makes the grave mistake of breaking the heart of Angelique Bouchard (Eva Green). A witch, in every sense of the word, Angelique dooms him to a fate worse than death: turning him into a vampire, and then burying him alive. Two centuries later, Barnabas is inadvertently freed from his tomb and emerges into the very changed world of 1972. He returns to Collinwood Manor to find that his once-grand estate has fallen into ruin. The dysfunctional remnants of the Collins family have fared little better, each harboring their own dark secrets. Matriarch Elizabeth Collins Stoddard (Michelle Pfeiffer) has called upon live-in psychiatrist, Dr. Julia Hoffman (Helena Bonham Carter), to help with her family troubles. Also residing in the manor is Elizabeth's ne'er-do-well brother, Roger Collins, (Jonny Lee Miller); her rebellious teenage daughter Carolyn Stoddard (Chloe Moretz); and Roger's precocious 10-year-old son, David Collins (Gulliver McGrath). The mystery extends beyond the family, to caretaker Willie Loomis, played by Jackie Earle Haley, and David's new nanny, Victoria Winters, played by Bella Heathcote.

Friday, April 27, 2012

3 Months?? A little less? Must be time for SDCC EXCLUSIVE ANNOUNCEMENTS!!! Hasbro drew first blood with reveals at Toy Fair 2012, and now Mattel jumps in with a giant chunk of their plastic awesome. Here's the skinny...

Thursday, April 26, 2012

Have you been getting up early Sunday mornings to catch the Marvel super power hour on Disney XD? I...sadly...have not. I am not a morning person. Catch me at any con in the AM and you'll see first hand. That won't stop us from giving you a sneak preview of what's to come on Ultimate Spider-Man and let you spend a little time with White Tiger!

This Sunday, watch as Spider-Man and White Tiger team up to save Midtown High on a new episode of Ultimate Spider-Man, inside Marvel Universe on Disney XD at 11am/10c.Together, they must figure out how to unmask and beat a notorious villain at his own game. Check out this behind-the-scenes interview with Caitlyn Taylor Love (voice of White Tiger), as she gives the inside scoop on balancing heroics and homework, and how she keeps the other S.H.I.E.L.D. trainees in line while learning to master her powers.

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

The call went out across the interwebs. SKRULLS are in the new Avengers movie!! It was a fact...only...it wasn't a fact. Marvel executives were less than quick to shoot down the rumors, causing some to speculate there was some semantic tinkering going on in their answer. Then came NY Toy Fair and the infamous JAKKS board game, which consequently made it to retail stores. The little purple guys in there had a striking resemblance to our familiar shape changing alien fiends, as did the icon used for them on the dice included. "No..no.." Marvel replied. No Skrulls. We promise. A Marvel rep at the same show pointed to Diamond Select's silver mystery box (containing their Marvel Select Loki's Army action figure) and said "It's a Chitauri..the Ultimate Universe version of Skrulls..so no one was entirely wrong." Then came the LEGO packaging that revealed the look of the grey, armored menace, and new commercials for the film revealing the aliens in action (ie; being thumped by the Hulk). It was all rather anticlimactic. Now we've seen the Marvel Select action figure and the Hasbro 3 and 3 quarter inch figures, so the mystery is solved... right?

Almost on cue, Hasbro sends out solicitations for their pre-orders of The Avengers Movie Action Figures Wave 3 including...

SKRULLS!!!! These evil alien bastards are just as devious in real life as they are in the comics!!! I shot Entertainment Earth a message:

"Really? Does the info you got really say Skrulls or did someone on staff just call them that instead of Loki's alien army or some such?"

their reply was...

"I was surprised too! The picture should be up shortly."

I had to jump over to Big Bad Toy Store for the reveal which showed...you guessed it...98% traditional looking comic Skrulls. Note that this is a brand new sculpt and not just a repaint/redeco of the Marvel Universe Skrull Soldier. One might think Hasbro was given early art work showing Skrulls and so, made their figures from it, but they've already shown "Loki's Army" action figures. You could also argue that Hasbro often filters comic versions of characters into film lines, but that doesn't explain the JAKKS game pieces. Who knows when this story will finally unravel. For now, fans of the movie will be able to army build "Loki's Army" and Marvel Comics purists will be on the hunt for a Skrull horde...and all will be right with the geeky world.

NINE MORE DAYS!!! Just over a week until the Avengers movie is dropped on our dizzy nerd craniums ...and then we have to find something else to live for. SAVOR THE MOMENT!!! Savoooooooor. Some points of interest for you...

The Avengers and Philosophy: Earth's Mightiest Thinkers - Avengers assemble! Tackling intriguing dilemmas and issues that no single great philosopher can withstand, this powerful book enlists the brainpower of an A-list team of history's most prominent thinkers to explore the themes behind the action of Marvel Comics' all-star superhero team.

Arms you with new insights into the characters and themes of The AvengersDeepens your appreciation both of The Avengers comics and the Joss Whedon movie adaptationAnswers the philosophical questions you've always had about Earth's Mightiest Heroes, including: Can a reformed criminal become a superhero? Can an android love a human? If a hero beats his wife, is he still a hero?Helps you think differently about the members of the superhero team—Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, and the others

This thought-provoking book will help you understand this band of superheroes better, whether you've followed the Avengers for years or are a Joss Whedon fan just getting to know them.

The Avengers Limited Edition Boxed Set - Found among retailers across the waters! Includes comics, Four Eaglemoss Figures (Thor, Captain America, Iron Man and Hulk), a hardcover encyclopedia (of the Avengers, natch'..208 pages), 5 pictures of the Avengers characters and a movie poster. There is some mention of the 3d Blu-ray/ Blu-ray combo pack, but I believe you are meant to buy the boxed set now and when the disks come out in August (? ), you can redeem them with a gift card included. Additional pic of the (possible) figures included in the set courtesy of Syl Duverne.

Battling Poster Art- Let's face it...the art for the most epic of Marvel movies to date has been...wanting. Posters range from uninspired to woefully photoshopped. Then along came Venom420 of the Super Hero Hype forums with his excellent, understated, classy and completely awesome art for each hero in the film. Check it...

Now, Mondo steps up with their own artistic interpretations of each hero for the Avengers film. My money would still go to Venom420...if someone would buy his art and make a print set from it! Each Mondo poster was revealed as an exclusive to a different mega site with Captain America going to Wired, Iron Man to IO9, Hulk on Bad Ass Digest and Thor on Movies.com. Black Widow and Hawkeye have already been released, and have already sold out..as is the way of the Mondo poster. If you want any hope of buying one of the others, better follow Mondo on twitter for your warning of when they will drop!

Retailers Prepping the Cash Registers- Hasbro has already unleashed a full line of action figures, vehicles and role play items for the Avengers film, with much more to come. LEGO's building sets have also dropped at Toys R Us. Now the mega retailers are preparing for the onslaught of consumers, hyped up after watching their favorite heroes in battle on the big screen and ready to slap down a chunk of change for merchandise they can call their own. Matt Booker of Automatic Comics sends over an image from his local UK Toys R Us and notes that the Marvel LEGOs have not yet arrived, but the store has their graphics ready, including a beautiful shot of the movie Amazing Spider-Man fighting The Lizard for the impending MEGA Bloks drop for their building sets! Dan Curto, master toy collector and Mars Attacks/ Star Wars card sketcher supreme dropped a picture from his local Toys R Us here in the states, all ready stacked with Avengers merch. I recently visited a local Target store and found monstrous green footprints embedded (or colorformed, depending on your imagination) in the floor and when I looked up to find the source, found The Hulk bounding overhead! Mad fun.

Be The Hero - Last up is another look at the mind blowing prop replicas of eFX. We last got to drool over these items at Wondercon. Now eFX gives us a heads up that "fans who are interested in ordering these incredibly detailed replica collectibles can send an email to MarvelUpdates@efxcollectibles.com to be sure they are among the first to receive notice when pre-orders begin! We asked eFX is they would add Hulk's Purple Pants to their replica collectibles lineup. Sadly, there are no plans for this item.....so far....

Who didn't love the Dinobots as a kid?! Their simplistic way of talking..their crazy electronic growling..the way they like to eat other robots... they were irresistible! Activision knows what you loved about the Transformers cartoons growing up and looks to pack it all into their latest video game epic: Fall of Cybertron.

The successor to the highest-rated Transformers game of all time and in development by the acclaimed team at High Moon Studios, Transformers: Fall of Cybertron allows players to experience the darkest hours of the war between the AUTOBOTS and DECEPTICONS as they vie for control of their dying home world. Fans will fight through both sides of the Transformers' most epic battles that culminate in their legendary exodus from Cybertron. With the stakes higher and scale bigger than ever, fans will embark on an action-packed journey through massive, war-torn environments designed around each character's unique abilities and alternate forms, including GRIMLOCK's nearly indestructible T-Rex form and the legendary COMBATICONS combining into the colossal BRUTICUS. Taking the franchise's competitive multiplayer to all-new heights, Transformers: Fall of Cybertron lets fans go head-to-head in blistering AUTOBOT vs. DECEPTICON matches after creating their own unique characters with the most in-depth, advanced customization ever before seen in a Transformers game.

And now we get a good look at the Dinobots as they will appear in the game! Say hello to Grimlock, Snarl, Slag and Swoop...

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